no title

Geology takes center stage in new park in Lewis Center

View SlideshowRequest to buy this photoJabin Botsford | DispatchThe 188-acre Shale Hollow Preserve opened yesterday. The new Delaware County park features shale cliffs that are hundreds of millions of years old and embedded rock formations called concretions.

More Articles

As three boys trekked along the snow-covered banks of the Big Run stream yesterday, stopping now
and again to poke sticks into the moving water, Rich Niccum said that’s just the type of activity
he wants to see at the new Shale Hollow Preserve.

The 188-acre park in Lewis Center opened yesterday with a ribbon-cutting that drew a crowd of
about five dozen people despite temperatures dipping into the 20s.

The park’s treasure is its geology, with shale cliffs hundreds of millions of years old and
embedded rock formations called concretions, said Niccum, education-services manager for
Preservation Parks of Delaware County.

“The goal is to give people an opportunity to wander the trail, to give them an opportunity to
get close to geology and also get close to the stream,” he said.

Shale Hollow is the newest of the park system’s 11 preserves and trails. It features a 1.1-mile
trail, an off-trail exploration area, an overlook atop a cliff and a lodge. Plans include a shelter
house and picnic area.

Rita Au, executive director of the park system, said the land was acquired through various
purchases between 2004 and 2012, for a total cost of about $11 million. She said 65 percent of the
funds came from outside sources, including the state Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean
Ohio Fund and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

With the population center of Delaware County just to the north, Au said it was important to
secure the land for residents’ use.

“It’s just too pristine and too pretty not to preserve it,” she said. “It has such a uniqueness
to it.”

Yesterday, the park played host to visitors of all ages, some walking dogs as they got their
first glimpses of the geological formations.

David Kistler, 62, of Westerville, carried a camera as he neared the stream in the off-trail
area bordered by a wall of shale. He said he’s been to all the preserves in the Delaware County
system and appreciates how each has its own personality.

He planned to get some exercise and stress relief, and to “enjoy the peace.”

Bob Macaluso, Shale Hollow park manager, described the park as a replica of the Hocking Hills
State Park in Hocking County. He said hikers might encounter turkeys or deer or one of the many
great-horned owls that have an affinity for a certain large pine tree.

Kevin Patton, 45, of Lewis Center, attended the opening with 10-year-old son Alex and two of the
boy’s fellow fifth-graders. He said he grew up picking strawberries on farmland on the South Side,
and he believes preserving nature is valuable.

“I thought it was very important to come out and get involved in the park from the very
beginning,” he said.

Gary Ringle, 44, moved into a home abutting the park about a year ago, and has been waiting for
the opening ever since.

“I really like being outdoors, so this is perfect,” he said. “It solidifies the idea of moving
here. It makes it feel more at home.”

Shale Hollow Preserve, at 6320 Artesian Run in Lewis Center, is open daily from 8 a.m. to
sunset. Visit
www.preservationparks.com for more
information.